Sheet cutter



May 22, 1945- c. E. YOUVNGCHILD SHEET CUTTER Filed Feb. 26, 1944 QQ/ZV/ ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 1945 SHEET CUTTER Casper E. Youngchild, Glens Falls, N. Y., assignor to International Paper Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 26, 1944, Serial No. 524,012

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for cutting sheet material. More specifically, the invention relate to apparatus for cutting or trimming the edges of a series of stacks of sheet material in a rapid and efficient manner.

The present invention provides apparatus of greatly increased efficiency and productive capacity for the handling and cutting of sheet material. A specific embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and described herein in connection with the handling and trimming of reams of paper.

. In the production of paper of various types sold in the form of cut sheets stacked in reams of predetermined count the following procedure has customarily been followed:

The paper is first produced in the form of a continuous web and a very large quantity thereof is wound upon a roll which may then be mounted in a slitter and rewinder which slits the web lengthwise and rewinds it into a plurality of rolls of predetermined width. These narrower rolls are then placed upon a sheeter which cuts the webs transversely and stacks the cut sheets into piles of convenient size.

The sheets which are cut and stacked by the sheeter are ordinarily somewhat larger than the final size necessary to fill a specific order. The sheeter cuts and stacks the sheets irrespective of any imperfections that might exist in the rolls of paper and it establishes an approximate count. It is therefore necessary for the sheets to be inspected, sorted and accurately counted. These latter operations are performed in the finishing room of a, paper mill.

The selected, accurately counted sheets are then 'conducted to a ream trimmer in which all four edges of the stack are trimmed to perfect size. and squareness. The trimmed reams are then ready for packaging.

Difierent grades of paper and different weights of paper within the same grade are trimmed and sold in reams of various sizes and count. They may be packaged and sold in single reams or in convenient multiples thereof. While paper is customarily sold on the'basis of standard reams it will be realized that the actual sizes are subject to very wide variation, dependent upon the specific dimension ordered by a customer. Accordingly, the operation of a finishin room must be very skillfully planned in order that smooth and efficient operation leading towards maximum production may be maintained. Orders of a specific size should be filled and completed in a single coordinated operation in order to avoid frequent readjustment of the ream trimmer.

To this end many different systems have been developed in individual finishing rooms. In one finishing room, for example, it may be customary to pile reams of sorted paper into very high stacks placed upon skids. The stack is separated into reams by colored tabs of paper known as ream markers. Several thousand pound of paper may thus be piled upon a single skid, and the height of the stack may be as much as five or six feet.

The usual form of ream trimmer is well known and will not be described in detail herein. However, it should be pointed out that in general the ream trimmer comprises a, large horizontal bed positioned at a convenient height for manipulation of reams of paper upon the surface thereof. A frame is disposed over the bed of the ream trimmer and this frame carries a verticall reciprocable knife. A movable gauge is carried by the bed and is mounted for movement parallel with and toward and from the blade. tion a ream of paper is placed upon the bed and is so manipulated in conjunction with the gauge 7 as to cut all four edges of the ream to exact size L and squareness.

The operation of a ream trimmer is a very exacting procedure whichrequires highly skilled operators. The reams of paper must be taken from a source of supply and positioned upon the bed, trimming must then be performed, and the finished ream must be removed from the bed and stacked or disposed of in some manner. I have observed that in the operation of a ream trimmer only one third of the total time is consumed in actual cutting or shifting of the ream upon the bed. The remaining two-thirds of the time are devoted to securing an uncut ream from a source of supply and removing the cut ream from the bed and disposing of it.

Reams of average size are too heavy and cumbersome to be handled by one person. and it is customary to provide a trimmer-man and a helper for each ream trimmer. These two men remove an uncut ream from a skid on one side of the trimmer and position it upon the bed. The trimmer-man then operates the trimmer after which he and the helper cooperate in removal of the ream from the trimmer and careful stacking thereof on a skid on the other side of the trimmer. During the entire operation of positioning the ream upon the bed and removing it therefrom the ream trimmer remains idle.

According to thepresent invention ll provide a ream trimmer with infeecl and outfeed work sup- IIn operaports or tables so associated with the trimmer that they may be brought into a position in which the upper surfaces thereof form substantial continuations of the surface of the trimmer bed. The tables are movable from such position to a remote position in which they are not in the way of the trimmer-man but in which other workmen can position a ream upon the infeed table or remove a finished ream from the outfeed table. When the trimmenman has completed the trimming of a ream he steps aside and the outfeed table is brought into operative position. The finished ream is slid from the trimmer onto the outfeed table and the table is moved away from the trimmer to a position in which other workmen may dispose of the finished ream. In the meantime an uncut ream has been positioned upon the infeed table and it may now be brought into operative position in order that the new ream may be slid therefrom onto the trimmer bed. Ths

complete operation requires but a very few seconds, during which the trimmer-man may continue certain operations at the trimmer. such as adjusting the gauge to proper position for the first out upon the new ream. Instead of the usual trimmer-man and helper my improved apparatus may be efilciently operated by six workmen in any instance where the reams are of such size as to have warranted the trimmer-man and helper under the old system. For small reams my apparatus may be efliciently operated by three men.

I have found it to be desirable to use three trimmer-men and three helpers on each machine. These pairs of men are rotated at relatively short intervals between the three stations. Thus the very exacting job of operating the trimmer need not be performed by a single individual for more than one or two hours. A trimmer-man who has completed his spell at the trimmer is thus enabled to work for the next two spells at either of the much less exacting tasks or stacking the finished reams or supplying new reams to the machine.

Referring now to the drawing in which is iilustrated a preferred, but not necessanly the only, form of embodiment of my present invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the same,

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in both views and it is to be understood that the illustration of certain parts is of diagrammatic nature.

The apparatus illustrated comprises a ream trimmer generally indicated at I0, having an in- .feed work-support or table If and an outfeed work-support or table I4. The cutting mechanism comprises a table or bed l6 and an overhead frame i8 within which is positioned a vertically reciprocable knife 20. A gauge 22 is mounted for movement parallel with, and toward and from the cutting edge 24 of the knife 20. The bed I 8 may be provided with a groove or slot 26 or in some instances with a plurality of grooves or slots similar to 26, illustrated herein, for the purpose of guiding the gauge 22 in its movement.

The details of the cutting and gauging apparatus form no part of the present invention and,

any one of the several well-known commercial forms thereof may be employed. In general it will be understood that a suitable power source such as an electric motor is provided and that the power from such source may be intermittently employed to move the knife vertically within the fram l8 and to move the gauge 22 back and forth upon the bed It. It is customary to provide a very accurate micrometer indicator in a convenient position for the purpose 01 indicating the exact distance between the cutting edge 24 and the gauge 22 at any given moment. The trimmer-man adjusts the gaugeZZ by manipulation of suitable controls and observes the indicator to insure accurate positioning. Ordinarily the adustment of the gauge and observation of the inolcator occur while tne trimmer-man 15 also engae'ed in turning or manipulating the ream upon me bed It for the next cut.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration herein the infeed and outfeed tables I2 and [4 are substantially identical. The inieed table I2 is provided with legs 30 having casters .32 resting upon the floor. The legs 30 are provided adjacent three of the corners of the table while the fourth corner of the table is pivoted by any convenient means such as a hinge 34 to the lefthand forward corner of the trimmer bed 16.

Similarly, the outfeed table I4 is provided With legs 36, casters 3B and a hinge 40 which connects one corner of the table with the righthand forward corner of the trimmer bed IS.

The tables 12 and 14 are illustrative embodiments of tables which are movable from positions in which they are clear of the front of the bed It to positions in which they form substantial continuations of the front of the bed It. It is only essential that the tables be movable in this general manner and that the tops thereof be so disposed that a ream may be rapidly moved to or from the bed It.

In order to illustrate the operation of my im-- proved ream trimmer under one set of conditions I have shown an infeed skid 42 having a stack '46 of untrimmed paper sheets thereon separated into reams by ream markers 50. I have also shown an outfeed skid 44 upon which is p sitioned a stack 48 of trimmed reams of paper.

Under the conditions illustrated it will be apparent that only a few reams have been tr mmed and it is therefore necessary to remove reams of paper from the high stack 46, lower them to the trimmer bed, operate the trimmer and then lower the trimmed reams to the low stack 48. As the operation proceeds the stack 46 will shrink and the stack 48 will increase. With old forms of ream trimmers it was necessary for the trimmerman and his helper to perform all of the operations and somewhat less than one-third of their time was devoted to actual cutting and manipulation of the ream on the trimmer bed. The remaining time was lost in moving the reams off and on the bed and in stacking or unstacking.

Operation of my improved ream trimmer under the conditions outlined above will now be described, Two men are stationed in the vicinity of the infeed skid 42, two men are stationed in the vicinity of the outfeed skid 44 and a, trimmerman and helper are stationed in front of the trimmer bed l6. In the position of the parts shown in full lines in the drawing a ream 54 is on the bed l6 and the trimmer-man has just completed operation of the machine to trim this ream. The men at the outfeed side of the machine have been engaged in stacking a previously cut ream upon the stack 48. The men at the infeed side of the machine will be engaged in removing. a ream 52 from the stack 46 and positioning it upon the infeed table I 2.

The outfeed table l4 has been swung to the full line or transfer position in which it may receive the ream 54. The ream 54 is then transferred from the bed I6 to the table H which is then swung away to the broken-line or unloading position for the attention of the outfeed operators. The infeed table is next swung from its loading position shown in full lines to its transfer position shown in broken lines and the untrimmed ream 52 may be rapidly slid onto the trimmer bed IS. The table II is returned to its loading position and the trimmer-man may proceed with trimming of the ream 52. During movement of the tables I! and. I4 the gauge 22 may be moved to proper position for the first cut on ream 52, In many instances movement of the gauge will require substantially all of the time devoted to movement of the tables l2 and I4 and there will be substantiallly no loss of time whatever.

The trimmer-man and his helper are therefore enabled to devote their entire time to actual trimming and adJusting of the ream upon the trimmer bed. All other operations such as stacking, unstacking and shifting of skids may be performed by the other workmen. Production" of the machine is therefore limited only by the skill of the trimmer-man and the speed of movement of the knife 20 and gauge 22.

While I have described the operation of my improved ream trimmer in connection with the handling of paper on skids it will be apparent that the machine is equally advantageous in connection with handling of Paper on trucks or conveyor belts or stationery table arrangements. My improved ream trimmer leads to substantial savings in capital investment, floor space and finishin room costs. Further advantages are realized in the more rapid completion of orders and the more rapid filling of railway cars.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the embodiment of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife moveable relative to said bed, and in infeed table pivotaily attached to said bed and movable from a position in which the top thereof is substantially contiguous with the surface of said bed to form therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed to a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

2. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife movable relative to said bed, an infeed table, and an outfeed table, each of said tables being pivoted to said bed for movement from a position in which the top thereof is substantially contiguous with the surface of said bed, to form therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed to a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

3. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife movable relative to said bed, and an infeed table, said infeed table being mounted for movement about an axis fixed with respect to said bed from a position in which the top thereof is substantially contiguous with the surface of said bed to form therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed to a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

4. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife moveable relative to said bed, an infeed table and an outfeed table, each of said tables being mounted for movement about an axis fixed with respect to said bed from a position in which the top thereof is substantially contiguous with the surface of said bed to form therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed to a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

5. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife movable relative to said bed, an infeed table, and means mounting said table for movement in a predetermined path to and fro between a position in which the top thereof is substantially conti uous with the surface of said bed toform therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed and a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

6. Apparatus for successively cutting a series of stacks of sheet material comprising a bed, a knife moveable relative to said bed, an infeed table, an outfeed table, and means mounting each of said tables for movement in a predetermined path to and fro between a position in which the top thereof is substantially contiguous with the surface of said bed to form therewith a substantially continuous support for a stack of sheet material during transfer between said table and said bed and a position in which said table is clear of said bed to permit operation of said knife.

CASPER E. YOUNGCHIID. 

